Bedich Bloudek

Bedich Bloudek (1815-1875), commander of the Slovak volunteers
corps was born into a merchant family and served until 1848 as an
officer in emper
or's troops in Lichtenstein. Wishing to support
national emancipation of the Slavs, he took part in the Slavic
Congress, held in Prague in 1848. During the Prague uprising he
issued a leaflet agitating village citizens to help fight in
Prague. On the barricades he showed admirable abilities as a
commander and a military specialist. The representatives of the
Slovak national movement tried to acquire him and also other
Czechs for collaboration in a military rising they were preparing.
With S
lovaks he took part in the negotiations with Ban Jelacic
Later he led a campaign of volunteers in Vienna. At the end of
August, he and Bernard Janecko illegally travelled throughout
Slovakia to inform patriots of preparations for a military
uprising. Before the start of the uprising, he was elected to the
membership of Slovak National Council and appointed to command the
troops. Responsible for the military side of the September
upheaval, he directed military operations in Myjava, Brezova pod
Bradlom and Stara Tura. Though the revolt was initially
successfulful, it ended in defeat. Partially, Bloudek was to
blame. He was a strict military commander who rejected any
unprofessional form of fighting. He demanded the unexperienced
and spontaneous rebels gathering mainly from the small villages
peasants who could not possibly follow strict discipline and
restraint tactics. Obviously, it was not suitable for them as was
demonstrated in the decisive struggle near Senica, where they were
d
efeated by the emperor's soldiers and Hungarian guards. Though
Bloudek originally wanted to leave for Croatia and join the
Croatian army, he decided to take part in Winter voluntary campaign
which he pursued in the imperial government. On November 16, he was
commissioned by the government to organize and to command the
Slovak volunteer corps. The corps were acting as an independent
formation under the over-all command of General K. Götz.
Under the command of Bloudek, volunteers occupied the no
rthern,
central and eastern part of Slovakia during January 1849. From the
military staff in Presov, he was to ensure order over a great part
of Slovakia and to shield rear divisions of General J. Ramber near
Kosice. As a liberal, Bloudek was worried about the strengthening
of the conservative powers in the monarchy during March and
especially about the emperor's constitutional decree (see Austrian
Constitution of the Reich). He established relations with the
local advocates of the Hungarian revol
ution and admitted a
possibility of the Hungarian and Slovak alliance, provided Pest
would recognize national demands of the Slovaks. After the attack
of the Hungarian army, he left eastern Slovakia in the middle of
April and retreated to the west. At the end of the retreat he
dismissed his corps near Jablunkov in the northern Moravia.
Bloudek had good military skills, but he was a poor psychologist.
He was unable to deal effectively with the political
representatives of the Slovaks and with his
subordinates. As a
demanding commander he was disappointed by their military
abilities, irresoluteness and hesitation. On the other hand, his
strict commands spawned disagreement. Volunteers several times
demanded his dismissal, and some officers even refused obedience to
him at the beginning of April 1849. Leaders of the Slovak
national movement L.Stur and M. Hurban, tried to soften the
conflicts, but the ministry of war in Vienna intervened in
directing the troops under Bloudek's command.
After the retreat of
the corps, he entered the emperor's army and was on duty until his
death.
Dusan Skvarna